... and outs of hi-res audio quality, frequencies and the best streaming platforms to use for high-resolution classical music recordings. Home Features Articles Whatishigh-resolutionaudioandwhatarethebesthi-resplayersforclassicalmusic? WhilemusicstreamingfromservicessuchasSpotifyorAppleMusicofferanunlimitedmusiclibraryinourpockets,whatwegaininconvenienceweoftenloseinaudioquality.TheMP3musicfilehasrevolutionisedthewaypeopleconsumemusic,butcomparedtoaCDitjustdoesn’thavethesamelevelofdetailintherecording,andifyou’relisteningonahalfdecenthi-fiyou’llreallynoticethedifference. Advertisement High-resolutiondigitalrecordingshavebeenavailablefordecades,butwithjustafewalbumscloggingupyourharddrivetheyweren’tapracticalsolution.Thankfully,withdatastoragenowmuchcheaperandwi-fispeedsimproving,hi-resaudioisfinallyhittingthemainstream,offeringstudio-qualityrecordingsattheclickofamouse. Whatishi-res? Hi-resisgenerallyregardedasaudiothathasahighersamplingfrequencythanCD,whichis16-bit/44.1kHz.Samplingfrequency(typically96kHzor192kHzat24-bitforhi-res)referstothenumberoftimessamplesofthesignalaretakenpersecondduringtheanalogue-to-digitalconversionprocess.Themorebits,themoreaccuratelythesignalcanbemeasured.A16-bitCDrecordingsoundsgreat,butyou’llnoticetheextradepthanddetailfrom24-bit. Ifyouvalueconvenienceoversoundquality,MP3arebrilliant,buttheyjustdon’thavethesamedetailasaCDorhi-resmusicfile.Whenthey’recreated,thefilesarecompressedanddataislost.Hi-res‘lossless’audioaimstoreplacethemissingdata. ThehighestqualityMP3hasabitrateof320kbps,ahi-res24-bit/192kHzfilemanages9,216kbps,whileCDsare1,411kbps.Andyes,vinylcansoundbetterthanthemall,butthat’sadebateforadifferenttime.Ifyou’vegotpremiumspeakersandheadphones,there’saworldofdifferencetobeexplored. Wherecanyoubuyandtryoutthesefiles? HDtracks(hdtracks.com)isanestablishedhi-resdownloadstore,withavastclassicallibraryavailableinFLAC,ALAC,WAVandDSD,butforacombinationofstreamingandsaving,QobuzSublime(£250peryear,qobuz.com)hasmillionsofCD-qualityFLACtitlesplusdownloadable24-bithi-resaudiofiles.For£7.99permonthPrimephonic(primephonic.com)boastsover3.5millionclassicalrecordingsatlossless24-bitFLACstreaming,whilesubscriberstoTidal’sHiFiplan(£20permonth,tidal.com)canstreamCDqualityandenjoythepioneeringnewMQAformat,whichgiveslistenersfourtimesstandardresolution. Whatarethebestportableanddesktophi-resplayersforclassicalmusiclovers? FiiOM11Pro£599 Anexceptionalportableplayerthatsoundsasgoodasmanycostingtwicetheprice.Itcanhandleallfiletypesupto32-bit/384kHz,andhasthepowertodrivevirtuallyanyheadphones.fiio.com iFiAudiohip-dac£149 Impressivebattery-poweredDACthatupgradesheadphonesoundqualityfromyoursmartphoneorlaptop.It’shappystreaminghi-resfilesincludingDSDandMQA,andperfectforenhancedlisteningonthemove.ifi-audio.com Advertisement AudiolabM-DAC+£800 Apersonalfavouritethat’salwaysoninmyoffice,thisdesktopDACboastsanaturallyexpressivesoundthatwillelevateyourlisteningenjoymentnomatterthefilestyleorsizeyouchoosetofeedintoit.audiolab.co.uk ShareonFacebook ShareonTwitter ShareonPinterest ShareonWhatsapp ShareonReddit ShareonBlogger Emailtoafriend Authors ChrisHaslam Socialnetworks AudioandTechSpecialist,BBCMusicMagazine ChrisHaslamisafreelanceconsumertechnologyjournalist,specialisingintech,audio,lifestyle,healthandinteriors.HeisthemonthlyaudiocolumnistforBBCMusicMagazine,roundingupthebestaudioequipmentonthemarketforclassicalmusiclovers.HeisalsoacontributingeditorforWiredUK. Tags Audioequipment Audiolab FiiO iFiAudio Save49%thisChristmas! Subscribetoday! Receiveourweeklynewsletter,packedwithfeatures,newsandreviews Enteryouremailaddressbelow Thanks!You'renowsubscribed. Alreadyhaveanaccountwithus?Signintomanageyournewsletterpreferences Signin Register Signmeup! Byenteringyourdetails,youareagreeingtoClassicalMusictermsandconditionsandprivacypolicy.Youcanunsubscribeatanytime. Delivereddirecttoyourdoor! SavethisChristmas! DeliveredfreefromtheUK! ViewourUSAoffers!